


Bakery

by tsuristyle



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 02:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8825839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsuristyle/pseuds/tsuristyle
Summary: In Arashi's 15th year, Ohno opened a bakery.(Reposting old fic from lj. Written April 2009.)





	

In Arashi's 15th year, Ohno opened a bakery. He'd been half-joking all the times he'd said he wanted to own one, but part of him had always liked the idea. So when things had settled down a bit, he did some research, bought a small place not too close to the beaten path, and opened up shop.

Through the connections of family and friends, he'd managed to put together a trustworthy crew of bakers and shop attendants, and although he'd kept it out of the media, customers were not a problem. They were almost exclusively female, of course, but as Arashi had matured, so had the fans. Outside of the occasional group of giggling schoolgirls, the customers were well-behaved and chatted about work, marriage, and children.

Ohno found it surprisingly relaxing. The shop was busy, vibrant with conversations and the smell of fresh baked goods, but there was still something calming about being there. It was a place where you could sit with a cup of coffee and just be yourself for a while.

 

Nino, of course, was the first to visit, shuffling in during the midday lull with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. The girl behind the counter gave a little cough to catch Ohno's attention from where he was rinsing dishes.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me you were opening a bakery?" Nino hissed at him when he reached the counter.

"I've been telling you all along," Ohno defended, drying his hands on his apron. "And don't think that you won't have to pay because it's me."

"I thought you were _joking_ , like every _other_ time you said you wanted to own a bakery," Nino grumbled, digging out his wallet. He ordered black tea, the cheapest drink on the menu. Ohno made him buy a cream bun as well, fresh from the oven, and cheerfully carried the tray over to a table by the window.

"I don't even _like_ sweets," Nino whined as Ohno poured the tea. The dull liquid turned into glowing amber where the sunlight spilled into the cups. The effect, Ohno noticed, was mirrored by the way Nino's eyes caught the light as he looked this way and that at his surroundings.

"Don't you want to support your boyfriend's entreprenurial endeavors?" Ohno smiled winningly, setting Nino's cup in front of him.

Nino raised his eyebrows, trying not to smile. "'Entreprenurial'?"

"Sho taught it to me." Ohno reached for the cream bun. Nino smacked his hand lightly.

" _I_ paid for that, and I'm going to eat it!" Nino picked up the pastry to take a bite and stopped, eyeing the surrounding customers. He smiled mischievously. "I know a better way to support my boyfriend's entreprenurial endeavors." Nino broke off a piece of cream bun and held it out to Ohno. "Say 'aah'."

The customers doubled the next day. The cream buns sold curiously well; Ohno had to admit, they _were_ pretty tasty.

 

Aiba was next, bounding in through the door on a sunny morning and begging to see how everything was made. Ohno led him into the kitchen, where the bakers good-naturedly showed him how to make cinnamon rolls. Aiba chatted easily with them and quickly wound his way into rolling out a batch of dough himself, earning their hearty approval as he miraculously turned out a perfect rectangle.

His enthusiasm was infectious; even Ohno joined in to help sprinkle ingredients over the dough and roll it into a log. They perched out of the way on a stack of boxes to let the bakers finish, watching as the log was deftly cut into individual rolls and placed on a baking sheet.

"Hey, Captain," Aiba murmured as the sheet went into the oven. "I wonder what would happen if you made cinnamon rolls with mabo tofu?"

Ohno tried to imagine it seriously for a moment before realizing that Aiba was making a puppy-dog face at him. "Not in _my_ bakery, you're not."

"It'd look the same, but it'd be spicy instead!"

"No."

"And it'd be healthier, too!"

" _No_."

"But it could be a successful new--" Ohno attacked, tickling Aiba's sides until he fell off the box, giggling.

 

Sho called ahead before visiting, even though they usually kept up to date on each other's schedules. When Ohno had first told him his idea, his more economically-oriented bandmate had bombarded him with information on the flour and sugar trade and the price of local eggs. Ohno had laughed, resting his head on Sho's sloping shoulder as he read a newspaper. "It's okay, Sho. If it's successful, it's successful, if it fails, it fails, and I'll open a ramen shop instead." Sho's laughter had been a pleasant rumbling vibration under Ohno's ear.

Sho was dressed in a suit and looking slightly harried when he came in. Ohno guessed that he was on his way to do newscasting coverage, and started fixing a latte so that it would be ready by the time he reached the front of the line.

"It might not be very good," Ohno warned as he handed it to him. "I'm still learning." Sho accepted it with grateful surprise and took a sip.

"It's good," he said, smiling warmly.

"That'll be 300 yen."

Sho laughed and set a bag of pastries on the counter. "I'll take these, too." Ohno peeked in. Anpan, apple muffin, chocolate cream horn. He smiled at the last one.

"For Yukiko, right? How old is she now?"

Sho's eyes lit up with pride. "Eighteen months and 21 days." He leaned over the counter confidingly. "She said her own name yesterday! I read that most babies can't until they're at least two. She's brilliant already, Ohno-san!"

They moved down the counter, away from the stream of customers, where Sho sipped his latte enthusiastically and talked about speech development until his phone buzzed angrily at him. He dashed out the door to catch his train, calling out reminders of the week's rehearsals. Ohno waved him off, warm with his own pride for his bandmate.

 

It was a couple weeks before Jun showed up, and honestly Ohno hadn't expected him at all. Although Arashi was no longer quite so busy, the youngest member still kept his schedule full with dramas and television appearances and networking, and often came into rehearsals looking exhausted. Jun was a social creature and thrived off of his work, but the rest of Arashi privately worried that he wouldn't know when it was time to slow down.

It was raining when he came in, the usually sunny tables bathed in a dull grey light. Ohno was busy setting out new pastries and didn't even notice until the girl at the counter poked him in the side and pointed at the figure sitting by the window.

"He didn't order anything, just came in and sat down," she whispered. Jun was sitting with his back to them, reading a book. It was unlikely he'd missed seeing Ohno, but he hadn't tried to get his attention either.

Jun looked up as Ohno approached him. "Leader," he said, giving him a weak smile. There were deep lines under his eyes and Ohno noticed that his jeans were soaked up to the knee.

He leaned against the nearest table. "Is everything okay?"

Jun was silent, his eyes dropping back down. He traced the spine of his book distractedly. "We broke up."

Ohno swallowed. Jun had been dating a girl for almost two years, the longest attachment he'd had with anyone so far, and he'd been talking seriously of marriage the last time Ohno had seen him.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Jun shook his head. "It's fine. I knew it was going to happen eventually."

"Oh." Ohno shifted awkwardly. It was obvious that wasn't the case, but he wasn't sure if he should push the issue. "Do you want to dry your jeans? There's--"

Jun's fingers tightened on the book. "I'm _fine_."

Ohno closed his mouth. His heart was breaking for his younger bandmate, sitting in quiet devastation in the grey light, but he couldn't find the words to express it. He brushed his fingers through Jun's hair and gently pressed a kiss to his forehead, wishing that he was Sho or Aiba or Nino, who would know what to do.

Back behind the counter, Ohno fiddled with the latte machine, listening to the sound of the rain on the windows. He'd been practicing and could turn out a pretty decent latte now, and was experimenting with designs in the foam. He gently set the finished product on Jun's table and slipped away.

Jun set his book down and reached for the cup. He cradled his fingers around it, smiling softly at the small, lopsided heart Ohno had made in the center of the foam.

 

The rain continued for the rest of the afternoon. Ohno glanced over from time to time as he went about his duties, but Jun stayed, content to read and sip his latte until close. Ohno came in from taking out the trash to find him leaning against the front counter, staring off into the darkened space. The chairs were already up on the tables.

"Leader." The tension seemed to have drained from Jun's figure, and he smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

Ohno joined him, bumping their shoulders together. "Are you going to be okay?"

Jun let out a breath that was almost a sigh, almost a laugh. "Yeah."

Ohno held out his hand. Jun took it without hesitation, lacing their fingers together. The settling darkness seemed to wrap comfortably around them. A streetlight came on outside, turning the droplets on the windows into glittering stars.

"I like it here," Jun murmured. "It feels like Leader."

"Like me?"

"Like... it's okay to relax. It's okay just to be yourself without thinking about it." Jun ducked his head, looking slightly embarassed. "It's reassuring."

They were both silent for a moment, until Jun let go of Ohno's hand and slipped his arm around Ohno's waist, squeezing their sides together in a one-armed hug, and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," he whispered. Ohno squeezed back, feeling like his heart was whole again.


End file.
